(L-R) Irma Welikoklad and Bill Welikoklad in front of newly renamed Welikoklad Simulation Lab on Wednesday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Welikoklad Simulation Lab

Red Deer Polytechnic receives $300,000 donation from Welikoklad family; renames Simulation Lab

Mar 1, 2023 | 7:08 PM

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) leaders and members of the Welikoklad family toured the newly named Welikoklad Simulation Lab on Wednesday to learn more about the upgrades made possible through a $300,000 donation from Bill and Irma Welikoklad.

In the Welikoklad Simulation Lab, Health Sciences students work through simulations of real-world patient care scenarios, which are facilitated by instructors. RDP officials say these experiences help students develop competence and confidence in a safe environment. In simulation, students may either work with actors representing a variety of patient scenarios, screen-based simulations using video-game technology, or with high-fidelity manikins that simulate a range of high-pressure situations, such as cardiac arrest.

“These rooms look a lot like a hospital room with all of the technology you’d have in a hospital room. This really is, in a way, a replica of what you would see in a hospital including a manikin that acts and operates and behaves very similar to a patient,” said RDP President Stuart Cullum.

The Lab contains six manikins: an adult male, adult woman, two pediatric dolls and two pregnant mothers for birthing simulations. The manikins breathe, have realistic skin and make heart, lung and bowel sounds while a controller programs in a separate room how it speaks and reacts to medications given by students. Students can give simulated IVs, check the manikin’s vital signs and find its pulse. The manikin’s eyes can dilate and blink, be intubated or given chest compressions, have seizures, and a myriad of other human functions.

On March 1, attendees observed two third-year Bachelor of Science – Nursing students, Jamie Mackinaw and Laura Naldrett, participating in a high-fidelity simulation involving a post-operative complication. RDP says experiential learning opportunities for students help them connect classroom theory to the real-world application of their skills.

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“It’s just a valuable learning experience. You get to practice; being able to make mistakes and not hurting anyone,” said Mackinaw.

“You’re also getting a chance to learn from your peers,” said Naldrett. “It really sticks with you. When you go into the clinical situations, you remember those moments.”

RDP officials say experiential, hands-on learning is a pillar of their institutional model, with new learning opportunities being designed for students in all programs. More than 800 students each year learn within the Welikoklad Simulation Lab, including students enrolled in Bachelor of Science – Nursing, Practical Nurse Diploma, Pharmacy Technician Diploma, Occupational and Physical Therapy Diploma and Medical Lab Assistant Certificate. They say these are popular programs, with high enrolment and high demand for graduates.

“For students in our Health Sciences programs, the scenarios they work through in the safe environment of the Welikoklad Simulation Lab help them to develop critical skills in patient care,” said Sharon Hamilton, Dean of the School of Community, Wellness and Health. “Through these experiential learning opportunities, including mandatory professional practice and simulation learning, they are prepared to navigate high-pressure and challenging circumstances with the calm confidence their patients require.”

While the Welikoklad Simulation Lab is not a new facility, the institution says the upgrades enabled by the gift improve learners’ experiences in the space. Some upgrades include the audio-visual system to better replicate a clinical environment, sound-proofing construction upgrades, and new high-fidelity manikins. They say the gift will be used to create three new debriefing rooms and two new Simulation suites in the current expansion.

RDP officials say the opportunity to support improvements in such an innovative learning space appealed to the Welikoklads. They saw the gift as a way to have a far-reaching impact on the community where Bill was raised since the age of three and where they raised their family, watching the city grow. In 1966, Bill worked as a general foreman on the construction team that built Red Deer Junior College. Since 1938, Bill has lived less than a mile from RDP’s main campus.

Members of the Welikoklad family in front of the newly renamed Welikoklad Simulation Lab on Wednesday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

“We have always felt a connection to Red Deer Polytechnic and are glad to be able to support students to access high-quality education in Red Deer. This community has been good to us, and it’s nice to be able to give back,” said Bill Welikoklad.

The Welikoklads have supported a number of initiatives at RDP, including the downtown campus expansion, where the Welikoklad Event Centre was named in 2015 in recognition of their gift. In 2009, they established an endowment with their business, Red Deer’s Home Building Centre, to support five annual awards for Trades and Business students.

“Bill and Irma Welikoklad are champions of our institution, and they’ve invested in Red Deer Polytechnic students for many years,” said Cullum. “The Welikoklad Simulation Lab is indicative of the kind of innovative experiential learning opportunities we provide at Red Deer Polytechnic, and we’re proud to acknowledge Bill and Irma in the space. We’re grateful for their generous gift and for their continued support for the work that we do.”